This invention relates to a programmable, wide area dispensing system for automatically dispensing an airborne insecticide (or other chemical agent) in predetermined amounts, in selected areas, at predetermined times of the day so as to automatically and effectively control insects and other pests, so as to minimize insecticide usage, and so as to prevent the indiscriminate spraying of the insecticide when the portions of the building are in use.
Heretofore, it has been common practice to dispense a variety of airborne chemical agents (e.g., insecticides, room deodorizers and the like) by mounting an aerosol spray can within a dispenser, the latter having a timer circuit which periodically (e.g., every hour) mechanically open the valve of the aerosol dispenser for a predetermined length of time (e.g., a few seconds) so as to emit a spray of the insecticide or other chemical agent into the environs of the dispenser. However, such dispensing systems indiscriminantly sprayed the insecticide or other chemical agent at these periodic intervals. This oftentimes resulted in spraying of the airborne chemical agent when the rooms were in use, or when the chemical agent was not needed, which in turn resulted in relatively high consumption rates for the airborne chemical agent. Further, the supplies of the chemical agents in the aerosol cannisters were of limited capacity and, due to the indiscriminate, periodic spraying, required frequent replacement. Still further, the necessity of packaging the airborne chemical agent or insecticide in aerosol containers was relatively costly.